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Andy Enfield's team is the first No. 15 regional seed to ever get to the Sweet 16

Florida Gulf Coast University near Fort Myers has more than 11,000 students

Enfield has been successful throughout his life, even off the court

The basketball program became eligible for the NCAA tournament two years ago

About 1,500 texts, voice mails and e-mails, some from people he hasn't spoken to in 20 years, have deluged Andy Enfield's in-boxes over the past few days.

"Ninety-nine percent of it is all excited and congratulatory. But there are some people that e-mail me just out of the blue, or somehow get my cell phone number, and text me and say derogatory things. And that just comes with the Internet age," the youthful-looking 43-year-old Florida Gulf Coast University head basketball coach said Tuesday.

"I believe that this doesn't happen to every coach, because every coach is not a 15 seed," Enfield told CNN's Rachel Nichols on "The Lead with Jake Tapper."

Florida Gulf Coast is the lowest-seeded team to ever advance to the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA college basketball championship tournament. That accomplishment has focused the spotlight on the previously-little-known coach of a previously-little-known university. And it's also focused TV cameras on his telegenic wife, the mother of his three children, who boasts a higher-profile past -- as a model who appeared on the cover of magazines such as Maxim.

"We don't talk about it. Amanda doesn't walk up to people and just say, 'Hey, look at my pictures on the Internet,'" Enfield said. "So, this media scrutiny and attention, I think we're all flattered by it, but it's just not who we are. We're so laid back about our past and what we've done. Really, we just want our focus to be on our team, on what FGCU has done, and this great institution."

Photos:Photos: NCAA tournament Round of 32

Photos:Photos: NCAA tournament Round of 32

NCAA tournament Round of 32 – Tyler Thornton of the Duke Blue Devils shoots a three-pointer at the halftime buzzer against the Creighton Bluejays on March 24 in Philadelphia. Duke won 66-50. Check out the action from the third round of the 2013 NCAA tournament and look back at the NCAA tournament Round of 64.

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NCAA tournament Round of 32 – Jahenns Manigat of Creighton shoots over Seth Curry of Duke on March 24.

NCAA tournament Round of 32 – Quinn Cook of Duke goes up for a shot on March 24.

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NCAA tournament Round of 32 – Creighton and Duke players battle for a loose ball in the first half on March 24.

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NCAA tournament Round of 32 – Seth Curry of Duke, left, is fouled by Jahenns Manigat of Creighton on March 24.

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NCAA tournament Round of 32 – Kenny Kadji of the Miami Hurricanes tries to save a loose ball while teammate Julian Gamble looks on in the first half against the Illinois Fighting Illini on March 24 in Austin, Texas. Miami won 63-59.

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NCAA tournament Round of 32 – Kenny Kadji of Miami leaps over D.J. Richardson of Illinois on March 24.

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NCAA tournament Round of 32 – Tracy Abrams of Illinois shoots over Shane Larkin of Miami on March 24.

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NCAA tournament Round of 32 – Durand Scott of Miami shoots against Joseph Bertrand of Illinois on March 24.

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NCAA tournament Round of 32 – Murphy Holloway of the Ole Miss Rebels drives against D.J. Peterson of the La Salle Explorers on March 24 in Kansas City, Missouri. La Salle won 76-74.

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NCAA tournament Round of 32 – Ramon Galloway of La Salle shoots over against Ladarius White, left, and Reginald Buckner of Ole Miss on March 24.

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NCAA tournament Round of 32 – Murphy Holloway of Ole Miss and Ramon Galloway of La Salle chase down the ball on March 24.

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NCAA tournament Round of 32 – Nick Williams of Ole Miss attempts a shot against D.J. Peterson of La Salle on March 24.

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NCAA tournament Round of 32 – Eric McKnight, left, of the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles celebrates in the second half while taking on the San Diego State Aztecs on March 24 in Philadelphia. Florida Gulf Coast won 81-71.

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NCAA tournament Round of 32 – Skylar Spencer of San Diego State passes the ball past Chase Fieler of Florida Gulf Coast on March 24.

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NCAA tournament Round of 32 – James Rahon of San Diego State shoots over Florida Gulf Coast players on March 24.

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NCAA tournament Round of 32 – Eddie Murray of Florida Gulf Coast takes the ball from Jamaal Franklin of San Diego State on March 24.

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NCAA tournament Round of 32 – Skylar Spencer of San Diego State shoots over Eric McKnight of Florida Gulf Coast on March 24.

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NCAA tournament Round of 32 – P.J. Hairston of the North Carolina Tar Heels drives for a shot attempt against Jeff Withey of the Kansas Jayhawks on March 24 in Kansas City, Missouri. Kansas defeated UNC 70-58.

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NCAA tournament Round of 32 – Perry Ellis of Kansas attempts a shot on March 24.

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NCAA tournament Round of 32 – Head coach Bill Self of Kansas yells at a referee in the first half on March 24.

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NCAA tournament Round of 32 – Reggie Bullock of North Carolina attempts a shot against Travis Releford of Kansas on March 24.

NCAA tournament Round of 32 – Mike Rosario of Florida, left, goes up against Trevor Mbakwe of Minnesota on March 24.

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NCAA tournament Round of 32 – Rodney Williams of Minnesota goes up for a shot on March 24.

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NCAA tournament Round of 32 – Victor Oladipo of the Indiana Hoosiers, center, defends the inbound pass of T.J. DiLeo of the Temple Owls on March 24 in Dayton, Ohio. Indiana won 58-52.

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NCAA tournament Round of 32 – Cody Zeller of Indiana lunges for the ball on March 24.

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NCAA tournament Round of 32 – Khalif Wyatt of Temple drives to the basket against Indiana on March 24.

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NCAA tournament Round of 32 – Victor Oladipo of Indiana drives to the basket against Rahlir Hollis-Jefferson, left, and Khalif Wyatt of Temple on March 24.

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NCAA tournament Round of 32 – Aaron Craft of the Ohio State Buckeyes handles the ball against the Iowa State Cyclones on March 24 in Dayton, Ohio. The Buckeyes won 78-75.

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NCAA tournament Round of 32 – LaQuinton Ross of Ohio State drives to the basket against Korie Lucious, bottom center, of Iowa State on March 24.

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NCAA tournament Round of 32 – Lenzelle Smith Jr. of Ohio State handles the ball against Will Clyburn of Iowa State on March 24.

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NCAA tournament Round of 32 – Will Clyburn of Iowa State goes up for a dunk against Sam Thompson of Ohio State on March 24.

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NCAA tournament Round of 32 – Michael Carter-Williams of the Syracuse Orange, center, goes up over Robert Thurman, left of center, of the California Golden Bears on March 23 in San Jose. Syracuse won 66-60.

NCAA tournament Round of 32 – Chris Otule of the Marquette Golden Eagles, second from right, handles the ball against Erik Fromm, second from left, and Kameron Woods, right, of the Butler Bulldogs on March 23 in Lexington, Kentucky.

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NCAA tournament Round of 32 – Head coach Brad Stevens of Butler reacts after a crucial basket is reversed and a foul is called against Marquette on March 23.

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NCAA tournament Round of 32 – Vander Blue of Marquette, center, reacts after stealing the ball and making a dunk against Butler on March 23.

NCAA tournament Round of 32 – The Oregon bench reacts in the first half against Saint Louis on March 23.

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NCAA tournament Round of 32 – Tony Woods of Oregon goes up for a shot over Rob Loe of Saint Louis on March 23.

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NCAA tournament Round of 32 – Daniel Bejarano of the Colorado State Rams, right, and Kevin Ware, second from right, of the Louisville Cardinals go up for a rebound on March 23 in Lexington, Kentucky. The Cardinals won 82-56.

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NCAA tournament Round of 32 – Kevin Ware of Louisville defends against Wes Eikmeier of Colorado State on March 23.

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NCAA tournament Round of 32 – Peyton Siva of Louisville Cardinals, left, steals the ball from Greg Smith of Colorado State on March 23.

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NCAA tournament Round of 32 – Colorado State head coach Larry Eustachy talks to his players during a timeout in the first half against Louisville on March 23.

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NCAA tournament Round of 32 – Kaleb Tarczewski, left, and Solomon Hill, right, of the Arizona Wildcats go after a loose ball against Kenyatta Smith of the Harvard Crimson on March 23 in Salt Lake City. The Wildcats won 74-51.

NCAA tournament Round of 32 – Adreian Payne of the Michigan State Spartans, right, looks to pass as he drives against the Memphis Tigers on March 23 in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The Spartans won 70-48.

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NCAA tournament Round of 32 – Travis Trice of Michigan State attempts to save the ball from going out of bounds while Joe Jackson of Memphis gives pursuit on March 23. Memphis coach Josh Pastner watches.

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NCAA tournament Round of 32 – Joe Jackson of Memphis drives for a shot against Adreian Payne of Michigan State on March 23.

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NCAA tournament Round of 32 – Gary Harris of Michigan State, left, battles Geron Johnson of Memphis for the ball on March 23.

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NCAA tournament Round of 32 – Trey Burke of the Michigan Wolverines, left, looks to pass against Juvonte Reddic of the Virginia Commonwealth Rams on March 23 in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The Wolverines won 78-53.

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NCAA tournament Round of 32 – Rob Brandenberg of the Virginia Commonwealth Rams, center, drives for a shot against the Michigan Wolverines on March 23.

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NCAA tournament Round of 32 – Glenn Robinson III of the Michigan Wolverines dunks against the Virginia Commonwealth Rams on March 23. Robinson's jersey was ripped during play.

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NCAA tournament Round of 32 – Tim Hardaway Jr. of the Michigan Wolverines reacts to a play on March 23.

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Before last weekend's upsets of regional No. 2 seed Georgetown and No. 7 seed San Diego State, most people -- even players Enfield was recruiting -- had no idea know where Florida Gulf Coast University is.

"They'd think we were the Gulf Coast Community College in the (Florida) Panhandle," he said recently as his basketball team prepared for its first NCAA tournament game. "I would to keep saying, 'No, we are a Division I school. We are in Fort Myers.'

"It just wouldn't register because they had never heard of us."

It's been a quick rise to prominence for a school that didn't even exist 16 years ago and only started its sports program in 2002.

The hoops team, which joined Division I just five years ago and became eligible for tournament play two years ago, was coming off a 10-20 season when Enfield was hired away from his assistant position at Florida State.

It was a tough start. Three team leaders transferred. He had to recruit players while his wife was in the hospital having their third child. (Well, he didn't HAVE to, but he did)

The coach recalls telling his staff that they had two goals: Quickly recruit talent and make the players that were recruited better.

"The chemistry on the team in unbelievable. It's the best I've been around in my years of coaching. I think people see that on the court. We look for the individual personality side when we recruit, and also the talent. Then, we try to develop our players on and off the court," Enfield told Nichols. "I think what you're seeing is our style of basketball these last two games ... we've been successful because our players enjoy their friends and they enjoy playing with each other."

Enfield is used to success. He was valedictorian in high school in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania. As a college guard at Johns Hopkins University, he set the NCAA Division III record in 1991 for career free throw percentage at 92.5%. He parlayed his reputation as a great shooter into a job as a consultant to NBA teams where he helped players improve their form.

Two of those gigs turned into full-time positions as an assistant coach, one with the Boston Celtics. While Enfield taught good shooting technique, he also learned about coaching from Rick Pitino, who is now the head coach of No. 1 seed Louisville.

"Basketball's always been in my blood. My father was a high school coach. He coached ninth grade for 20-something years. It's always been with me. It's my passion," Enfield said.

He majored in economics at Johns Hopkins and received an MBA from Maryland, then left coaching in 2000 to co-found Chattanooga, Tennessee-based TractManager, a contract management company in the health care industry.

Sports Illustrated reported that the privately held company is worth at least $100 million.

"I retain a part of company, but I'm not involved any way in management,'' Enfield told the magazine this week.

His partner, Tom Rizk, said he asked Enfield to be one of the initial investors because he saw some genius in him.

"One of his very significant talents was to be a leader," Rizk told the News-Press of Fort Myers. "People were following him. He is a special guy. He's smart. He's articulate. He's very positive. If there's a guy that could turn a program around like yours, it's him."

While he was working in New York for the company, he was set to drive to Boston to watch the NCAA tournament. A friend said her girlfriend had tickets, too. They were going to fly, but Enfield offered them a ride so they could save the $500.

The girlfriend was Amanda Marcum, a model who had appeared on the covers of magazines such Maxim and Vogue and did runway work in Europe.

"I didn't know her at the time," Enfield said, "but I knew as soon as she got in the car, I knew it would be a great trip to Boston."

For the future Mrs. Enfield, it wasn't exactly love at first four-hour trip.

"No. No. But it worked out after a while," the ardent Oklahoma State fan told the Oklahoman newspaper. "We got engaged pretty quickly after we started dating, and that happened fast, but, no (immediate attraction)."

So Amanda modeled and Andy continued to work as an entrepreneur (he also had a basketball shooting technique video and company). She traveled the world and he watched his company grow.

He wanted to go back to coaching and thought it would be better to raise a family in a college environment. He got an offer from Florida State in 2006, joining the staff of a middling team in the powerhouse Atlantic Coast Conference.

When the Florida Gulf Coast job opened up, Enfield e-mailed about it. Like so many people, he only had seen the young school's scores on the TV ticker and had never been to the campus.

"I didn't know much about the school when I took the job," he said, adding that Athletics Director Ken Kavanagh sold him on the idea of quickly making it a place to build a tradition. "I wanted that opportunity, so that's why I took it."

Enfield signed a five-year contract (which may not stop larger schools from looking to Fort Myers for a coach this off-season) and quickly built a program almost from scratch.

There are just two seniors and two juniors on this year's roster. He recruited four high school seniors and one transfer.

The young Eagles are exciting to watch, and their high-flying offense and highlight reel jams have given Fort Myers a new nickname -- Dunk City.

"I'm pretty confident that we can run with anybody," said Eddie Murray, a 6-foot-8 senior forward. "We don't have the typical big body guys. We have the long, athletic guys who want to run." They also play tough defense, just like Florida State.

Enfield knows that when it comes to recruiting, he's not necessarily going to get guys ready for Division I. Those players go to Kentucky or Duke or other top schools, he said. He gets players who have some talent -- and some flaws, he said.

"We have some of the most improved players in the country on our team this year. They've made huge jumps, and I think that's big in selling that recruiting," he said.

Besides good technique, there is one other thing he teaches them.

"The biggest thing he's given me has just been confidence," Murray said.

The Eagles are confident they can keep pulling off upsets like the ones they sprung on Georgetown and San Diego State.

The Enfields' daughters are hoping the streak continues.

"My oldest daughter's focus is to go to Target to buy a dinosaur from the dollar bin, because that was promised after we got back from the tournament," Amanda Enfield said of their 6-year-old.

Andy Enfield added, "Yeah, I told her if we won the first game, she could get a dinosaur, and our other daughter would get a Barbie. They hit me up after winning the first game and said, 'Can we get another if you win a second game?' At that point I said, 'Sure.' (Laughs) And Amanda said, 'Hey you should ask for more than that.'"

On Friday, they face Florida in a game scheduled to begin just after 10 p.m. ET. Regional No. 3 seed Florida began the tournament as the 12th-ranked team in the country. Odds makers have the Gators as heavy favorites.

Speaking of his intrastate foe, Enfield joked, "It's just unique that we're playing them in the Sweet 16. I blame that on the selection committee. They should have put us in separate parts of the bracket, and we shouldn't have met until the championship game."

Whether Enfield's Eagles pull off an upset, one thing is for sure: Recruiting will be a whole lot easier when he has to call prospects' parents this off-season.